They grow 'em big on Happy Hollow Road

Sometimes good things happen when we least expect them. Just ask Durward McLaughlin. He didn’t set out to grow the largest watermelon he’s ever seen. But that’s what has happened.

McLaughlin has a yard full of produce. Although he says this was not the best year for his tomato plants, he still appeared to have plenty when I visited the other day. At the front of his home on Happy Hollow Road, he had a little produce stand where he sells his extra produce to passersby.

On the day of my visit, McLaughlin was showing off his watermelon. We didn’t weigh it but it was a beauty at about 21 inches long and roughly 36 inches around.

The Guinness Book of World Records records a 350 pound watermelon grown in Tennessee in 2013. The record doesn’t mention how long or how big around it was.

We hear a lot about big produce, especially during county fair season. It’s about time for the stories to start coming in about the largest pumpkin. To date, the record holder is from Switzerland in 2014 at 2,323 pounds. In North Carolina, someone from Silk Hope brought in a 1,404-pound pumpkin in 2014.

I guess the reason why pumpkins can get so much bigger than watermelons is the tough rind. You would think a hollow gourd would be more prone to breakage. But that, apparently, is not the case.

If you are wondering, McLaughlin said he didn’t take any special pains to grow his whopper watermelon. He said he kept it watered through the hot summer but never fertilized it. It will make some family gathering a fine dessert one day soon.

In case you're wondering, the N.C. State Fair will run Oct. 13-23 this year in Raleigh. Advance tickets went on sale at Food Lion Wednesday.

Advance admission tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for children, $2 less than the cost at the gate. Children 5 and under and adults 65 and over get in free.

Admission tickets for large groups cannot be purchased at Food Lion stores. For information about purchasing tickets for groups of 40 or more, visit www.ncstatefair.org.

An 18-ticket ride sheet is $10 in advance, saving fairgoers $8 off the regular price.

Discount admission, ride tickets and special combination packages for the 2016 N.C. State Fair also are on sale online at www.ncstatefair.org.